3 named Duke undergraduate Young Trustee finalists

Seniors Ashley Alman, Gurdane Bhutani and Chris Brown, named finalists by the Young Trustee Nominating Committee Sunday night, will compete in a Feb. 7 election open to the entire student body.

The process concluded this weekend following interviews with all eight semifinalists. Campaigning starts Thursday.

"We want them to have presence in the Board of Trustees," said junior Dan Pellegrino, chair of the YTNC. "We want someone who’s not gonna be intimidated and who’ll have their voice heard."

Alman is an undergraduate admissions blogger, a member of the First Year Advisory Council board and vice president of external affairs for Duke University Union.

Bhutani, an A.B. Duke Scholar, is the president of the Council for Collaborative Action. He served as executive vice president for Duke Student Government as a junior.

Brown is a current member of The Chronicle's independent editorial board. He is also an undergraduate representative on the Board's Business and Finance Committee. He was formerly the external chief of staff for DSG.

YTNC is independent from DSG to improve objectivity, Pellegrino noted. But there are five current DSG vice presidents and four senators on the committee, composed of 14 students.